U.S.-trained Iraqi troops still prefer Soviet-style arms!

BAGHDAD â€” The Iraq Army, despite massive U.S. help, continues to prefer the Soviet- and Eastern-origin munitions that they have continued to use.

Officials said the Iraq Army has selected Eastern-origin munitions over those produced by the United States. They said Iraqi officers and soldiers were more familiar with munitions produced by Russia and former East Bloc states.

Officials said the Iraqi military has decided to resume the use of Russian-origin weapons, particularly for the Army. They said despite intensive U.S. efforts over the last four years, Iraqi soldiers demonstrated their preference for such weapons as the AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle, T-72 main battle tanks and other platforms.

Still, the U.S. military has determined that the Iraq Army continued to improve. Officials said the Army would still need U.S. or other foreign help by the time the American withdrawal from Iraq was scheduled for completion in late 2011.

"I've been here multiple tours and this is my first chance to work in such close proximity to them," Spc. Thomas Terry said. "I'm looking around, and I'm seeing discipline that I didn't see years ago when I was here."

On May 11, Iraq Army cadets concluded a U.S. training course in mortars. On the insistence of the Iraqis, the mortars fired were 120mm rounds produced in Serbia.

"They do all of their own training," U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Daley, an adviser to the Iraqis, said. "All we do is oversee and advise."

Daley said the Iraqis declined to use U.S. weapons during the training course at a range southwest of Mamhudiya. He said the Army has become proficient with Russian and Serbian weaponry.
U.S. advisers also offered Iraqi cadets training in American-origin artillery batteries. The Iraqis were said to have declined.